Short synopsis: Meredith and Aspen are influencer besties, until a little fight breaks them up. Now, Aspen has gone viral and Meredith is jealous.

My thoughts: I’m going to keep this somewhat vague because the unexpected moments add so much depth to the story! But loved this fun and unique premise about the authenticity or lack there of of social media influencers.

I knew this was a thriller, but we don’t get to the actual thrilling part until about halfway though. Once I got here I binged to the end. I couldn’t wait to see what happened!

I read the majority of this on audio and loved the dual narration! The narrators really brought the story to life.

Read if you love:
- Social Media
- Dual POV
- Besties
- Unexpected twists

This wasn’t the most unique or twisty thriller I’ve ever read, but I enjoyed every minute! I’ve been wanting to read something that would keep me on the edge of my seat without being overly dark (I can only handle so many thrillers with rape, abductions, etc.), and this perfectly fit the bill.

I guess I’d be what you call a “micro-influencer” on bookstagram, so reading about social media culture—its fakeness and toxicity—and having it woven into a plot filled with deceit, stalking, manipulation, and murder was incredibly enticing. This started off by giving me major You vibes (Joe Goldberg is even referenced a few times) but ended up taking a completely different direction. While slightly predictable, it was bingeable and oh-so-good!

As someone who is intimately familiar with losing best friends (I’ve admittedly lost quite a few over the years), this plot really hit a nerve for me, but it was far too fun to put down. This was a suspenseful and addictive thriller that brilliantly tackled the nuances of female friendship, social media toxicity, armchair detectives, true-crime obsessions, and how threatened men can be by successful women. If these topics are of interest to you and you are looking for you next popcorn thriller - look no further than this one! 🔥

Thank you NetGalley & Berkley for this ARC!

This was a perfect audiobook to keep me entertained through the tedium of Thanksgiving grocery shopping (the worst) and the fun of baking pies (the best).

Influencer insanity + toxic friendships + some solid snark + delightfully unlikeable characters = loved it.

I found this one inferior to the others I've read from Sutanto. It has none of the fun of the Aunties books. It was a quick, mindless read, which is good in a thriller. But I wasn't thrilled and I didn't enjoy any of the characters. Everybody was one-dimensional, so none of the bad things they do are especially interesting or shocking.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I purchased for my library and will share in a monthly recommendation meeting.

I’ve enjoyed all of Sutanto novels I read! Here she weaves a suspenseful, character-driven plot, using alternating perspectives or a first-person narration to allow readers to experience the complexity of the sisters' bond. The story builds a palpable sense of unease as the obsessed sister’s fixation grows, creating an unsettling atmosphere that keeps readers on edge. There were well-developed characters that feel real and relatable despite the dark events they find themselves caught up in. The pacing is quick. The plot twists are well executed, leading to a finale that is both shocking and thought-provoking. At its core, the book explores the fragility of identity and the destructive power of envy and jealousy. Themes of self-worth and the struggle for individuality are explored, making the book more than just a thriller but also a meditation on what it means to be yourself in the face of overwhelming comparison.

Wow! When the book turned a very dark corner I was shocked because I hadn’t anticipated it.
I did rather enjoy Meredith’s sabotaging of Aspen.
Aspen is a vile viper!
The book illustrates the fakery and phoniness of social media.
All Aspen could think about were her numbers.

I picked this one up on a whim because I was looking for a book to read on my flight and I gobbled this right up! I think this is a different style of story for the author and I really enjoyed it.

I find influencer culture so fascinating, so I loved that it was a central part of this thriller. The author writes about the darker side of social media and how difficult it can be to maintain a picture perfect lifestyle. How quickly the court of public opinion can turn and/or be manipulated.

I didn’t read the synopsis for this book before I dove in, so I was totally surprised by some of the secrets that were revealed. Like “gasp out loud” and “look around in shock” surprised! I thought this was such an entertaining read and the perfect book to hold my attention on a long travel day.

Unfortunately the T1 diabetes pieces of this made it hard for me to get into, and so I wasn't able to give this one the fair go it deserved. Many will love this I'm sure!

My guilty pleasure books are stories about influencers behaving badly, and this one certainly delivered. Will this be the most literary book I read all year? No. But one of the most fun? Definitely. A perfect popcorn thriller. I could have read this in one sitting if I had had the time!

Truthfully, I read this book in one sitting but if you asked me what happened, I don’t think I could tell you.

Meredith and Aspen used to be influencer besties, but as soon as Aspen grew a big following, she ditched Meredith. Meredith becomes obsessed, reaching a point where she even gets ahold of one of Aspen’s kid’s iPad, giving her access to Aspen’s calendar and social media accounts, which also gives her the opportunity to really mess with Aspen’s life. Meanwhile Aspen is wondering how she is messing up so much. But when Meredith suddenly goes missing, Aspen’s life is upended even more..

There’s something about a story of badly behaved moms that makes for such an interesting thriller, and this book was one of the best out there. I hated both characters but I was immediately sucked into their world. It was hard to know who and what to believe in this story full of twists and turns. This story is incredibly bingeable and would translate to screen so well!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I loved this book so much. To me, authors who can craft two flawed, believable main characters are the best of the best, and Sutanto does just that here. Meredith and Aspen are not people you would truly "root for" in real life, but they are so compelling and complex that you just want to know more about them.

I wasn't really a fan of this book. I didn't find myself in love with it. It was more of a meh read. Like, it's okay to read but wasn't terrible though. It needed something more. I just don't know what.

You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q Sutanto
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Two best friends who are social media influencers have a falling out after one of them makes it big on Tik Tok. Jealousy and hurt lead to stalking. What would you do to become a social media star?
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What I liked:
-I loved how this story really showed the dark side of social media. We all know it could be harmful, but this story went DDDARRRRRK. That kept me flying through the chapters.
-These women were low key AWFUL. It was like watching a train wreck and I couldn’t look away.
-A quick and addicting read, about a third of the way in the story twisted in a direction I didn’t see coming and it was un-put-down-able by that point.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I would definitely recommend and then I can have someone to chat to. I wasn’t a fan of how it ended, but it was an immensely compulsive read.

I ate this up!! Literal influencers with millions of followers being besties then enemies and all the things that unfold because of lack of communication! Both gals were wrong in their own right and I hated them both, but in the best way. It was wild how it all ended. A true thriller but with a fun social media twist. Would recommend!! Had me turning the page nonstop

'You Will Never Be Me' is one of those thrillers that pulls you in from page one. The tension is immediate, and it only escalates as secrets unravel and both Meredith and Aspen spiral into layers of deception, manipulation, and all-around bad behavior. This isn’t a “good guy” vs. “bad guy” story; both characters are deeply flawed, and the story takes you down their tangled paths in such an engrossing way. Just when you think you know how they’ll react, there’s a new twist, another layer of duplicity—and I was here for every minute of it.

One of the most devastating elements is the toxic friendship at the story’s core. What begins as admiration twists into competition and betrayal, with fame poisoning any chance they might have had to be real friends. And yet, at moments, it feels like they’re so close to that true connection—as if they could even be each other’s only real friends in this world of fake online followers. It’s chilling to see how fame and greed unravel what might have been a rare, sincere friendship.

Beyond the suspense, the book also brings to light the toxic reality of social media, showing how deeply it affects users and influencers alike. The leads’ relentless craving for fame and notoriety felt disturbingly relatable—who hasn’t been lured in, even slightly, by that shiny promise of stardom? But the way these two are so consumed by their greed for it that they’re willing to lie, sabotage, and even unalive for their own gain? Chilling.

The bad behavior and suspense-driven plot kept me hooked, but the ending, while satisfying enough, felt a bit too tame compared to the rest of the story’s intensity. Still, the book's rollercoaster of twists and character decisions kept me entertained throughout. For fans of morally complex characters and thrillers that don’t hold back on drama, 'You Will Never Be Me' is absolutely worth the ride. Four stars!

TL;DR: A tense, twisty ride that kept me hooked till the very end—though I wish the finale had packed a bit more punch, this was still a highly entertaining read.

This book was sneaky shocking! I thought it would be heavy on the Influencer culture (which isn't of interest) but it was way more psychological and manipulative. For fans of Ingrid Goes West.

I love that Jesse Q Suranto is able to switch between her fun auntie series and these psychological thrillers. I feel like there have been so many recent books about influencers but this one stood out and I really liked it. I did think Meredith and Aspen with a little unlikeable but I think that was on purpose. Overall I really liked it and thought it was fun.

Aspen & Meredith are former best friends. They are now competing "momfluencers." Meredith is envious of Aspen's success since she believes she's the one who taught Aspen everything she knows. Meredith is able to get her hands on Aspen's social calendar & plots to take over her appointments to rise back to the top. Aspen doesn't understand why she is being dropped by all her sponsors & starts to spiral. Aspen is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her wealth & fame.

This book was intense! It was just what I needed to get out of my mini slump. I was hooked from the beginning. I'm all for strong female friendships, but every now & then experiencing a toxic fictional friendship is just what's needed. There were surprising twists. I thought it was interesting seeing how the influencer lifestyle was portrayed.

This book is twisty, drama filled and a book that will keep you up way past bedtime! The story is told via POV which gives a lot of insight and background information regarding the build up and break down of their close friendship.